The camera aim is a bit erratic, and you can see why we hadn't already
posted this video (which is actually several briefer videos pasted together
with a few gaps).
Yet you can clearly see, after
Glenda Cofield and
Steve Bays
spoke against closing the road,
someone else
started speaking from the audience.
Then
Commissioner Joyce Evans asked those opposed to stand up,
and many people did.
You can see County Engineer Mike Fletcher in the background.

Presumably some of the people who stood were among the 450 people
mentioned in
the minutes:

Glenda Cofield, Mullins Lane, spoke against the request, and presented
a petition submitted prior to the work session with the unverified
signatures of 450 area residents included.

Why were the signatures still unverified if she submitted the petition
before the work session of the previous day?

Couldn't county staff check them against the
Lowndes County Tax Assessor's database?
If from the morning of the previous day to the evening of next day
is not long enough to do that, maybe the county needs to announce
a petition due-by date before a public hearing.

The applicant started talking from the audience.
Chairman Ashley Paulk told him to come up front, which he did.
Phillip Connell complained
about people leaving trash and otherwise
abusing his property.
He also remarked:

As far as the church, legitimate people, they can still use it.

Who gets to decide who are legitimate people?
If the county closes the road, he does.

Next, J.C. Riley noted:

That's the only access to the Alapaha River in Lowndes County.

The next access upstream is near Lakeland in Lanier County, and the next one
downstream is at Mayday in Echols County.

Commissioner Richard Lee asked the applicant, Phillip Connell,
if his property was alongside the part of the road that was
proposed to be closed.

Connell, speaking from the audience again, nodded and said "both sides".

Well, that's strictly true for a few feet, perhaps,
but the rest of the way to the river
the land on both sides of Old State Road is owned by
Acree Investments, according to the Lowndes County
Tax Assessor's public database,

which also says that property hasn't changed hands
since 2001,
well below Mr. Connell's assertion.

Mrs. Cofield added that the boat ramp was used by many and needed to
be improved. Mrs. Cofield further stated that Department of Natural
Resources had guidelines by which the county could move forward with
repairs to the ramp.

The only response to her request was this:

Commissioner Lee stated that it might be an issue for the parks and
recreation to explore.

Did Commissioner Lee or anyone else with the Lowndes County government
ask Parks and Rec to explore Mrs. Cofield's question?
The minutes don't say.